I LOVE LOVE LOVE this manga. What is it about? Being a salaryman. That’s right, he’s no hero, he’s just a normal guy trying to make a living. From my experience this is a real novelty, but it’s very successful. There’s a lot of talking, a lot of explanations of complicated business matters, and there’s quite a bit of romance, too. The protagonist has the same troubles that everyone has at their work and it’s all very dramatic in comic form. However, there’s no attempt to draw things in a dramatic way and it’s not melodramatic. It’s very unusual (for me) to read a story about the non-adventures of everyday business, but here you have one, and it’s really good.
Here are some of my notes from the 4th volume of the bilingual edition. In this volume, Shima is travelling to France to strike a deal with a wine-exporter. We learn a LOT about wine, which is a good selling point!
p31.
The tense standoff between Shima and Emile Lauren is so emotional for me! It reminds me of my own experiences and tensions at work. Everyone has emotionally strained interactions in their personal life and business and everywhere. As a foreigner working with Japanese people in an office, this is especially intense and fun.
p29.
Only occasionally does Hirokami’s artwork break through the heavy masks of tight photo references and screentones. This is weird, when you suddenly really notice his penstroke, or the way he constructs a face. This is a kind of effect that I hope shows up in my Umezu Kazuo minicomics.
p47.
A comic that is very much about/revolves around/uses as a vehicle: learning. It reminds me of Inglourious Basterds in which there are many carefully attentive series of shots that inform the viewer about life in the period, such as how an old pen worked. This isn’t related to educational comics or edutainment generally, because the education here is secondary or tertiary in importance and what’s better is the way it serves the story.
p122.
Totally real life! Business drama and weird romantic drama, even pondering relationships and possibilities and “what I should have said” in the shower. Also, a male nude who’s not comic-booky in any way. A normal dude with normal proportions. Awesome.
p128.
Bizarre repeated imagery: waiting alone on the waterfront to meet an old friend. Seen in Black Jack, Ode to Kirohito, and more. Why?